At RealClearDefense Bonnie Kristian makes an argument that’s music to my ears. The United States must eschew preventive war:
Preventive war has not been the political or ethical norm for the great bulk of U.S. history, and it is a grave mistake to make it an option for responding to North Korea’s admittedly serious provocations.
First, an aside for definitions is in order, for confusion abounds (and is too often misused by modern Washington) over the nature of “preventive†war and its near-homophone, “preemptive†war. Preventive war is an attack launched to prevent the materialization of a potential future threat; preemptive war is a response to an imminent threat.
To attack North Korea right now because it has a nuclear arsenal would be preventive war. The threat is not imminent (and it is entirely possible, though the probability is debatable, that Kim would never use his weapons, but merely maintain his arsenal to deter regime change efforts).
Read the whole thing. Preventive war is immoral and, because of international accords to which the United States is signatory, illegal. It would not make us safer. It would be courting disaster;
Our imperial state does not care much for international or even American law, and it can be argued that under the Nuremberg rules every American President after Eisenhower and their chief aides have been war criminals.
More to the point, which is ignored by every single person pushing the military option, China has repeated stated, as recently as a couple of weeks ago, that they would defend North Korea against an American attack. Russia has supported China in every one of their statements.
In fact, considering the devastation they face, it is inconceivable that either South Korea or Japan would allow the US to launch an attack from bases on their territories. I can even imagine that South Korea and Japan would intercept and force back any American bombers launched from Guam or the US or aircraft carriers.
Whether our Rulers are delusional enough to proceed in their war plans remains to be seen. The fact that Trump appears to have been removed in place does not portend well.
They’ve also said, I believe at the same time as the instance to which you refer, that if North Korea attacks the U. S., they’re on their own.